I have both the 35-105 f3.5 and the 35-70 f3.5-4.5 mentioned above. For serious work, I would go to the 35-105 (or the 50mm f1.4 ), but it is a fairly significant handful size and weight-wise. For traveling light -- vacation and casual shooting -- the 35-70 is quite nice. If you start doing tests with grids and such, it does have more distortion, but it is small and light, about the same bulk as the 50 mm 1.4.

And we are spoiled today -- 2:1 zoom range is plenty for minor compositional adjustments (he says with a curmudgeonly wink).

Sadly the 24 2.8 is far from dirt cheap...I've been looking for one for MONTHS and haven't seen a single one under $100...

Here's another vote for the 24/2.8.... for years it was my "standard lens" as I didn't even own the 50! And they are definitely available for $100 or less if you're patient. But absolutely we wary of (or even outright avoid) the older ones with the circle emblem instead of the "A" at the auto position on the aperture ring. Many of those suffered from element separation on the rear element. If you see one advertised as "smudge on rear element" or whatever, RUN AWAY! Unfixable unless you have another rear element from a later lens to swap in.

Here's another vote for the 24/2.8.... for years it was my "standard lens" as I didn't even own the 50! And they are definitely available for $100 or less if you're patient. But absolutely we wary of (or even outright avoid) the older ones with the circle emblem instead of the "A" at the auto position on the aperture ring. Many of those suffered from element separation on the rear element. If you see one advertised as "smudge on rear element" or whatever, RUN AWAY! Unfixable unless you have another rear element from a later lens to swap in.

Duncan

Would you mind letting me know when you see one cheap (send a PM with the link, if you don't mind)? I've been looking forever and can't find one I saw one two or three months ago for around 90 with the original hood and to this day am kicking myself for not picking it up. As much as I love my AE-1P/FD stuff, I can't justify spending $100 for that lens...

I just went and searched "Completed listings" on That Auction Site for

Canon FD 24*

And they look to have all sold for under $100. $60-something seems to be the rough average... And there are a bunch currently for sale with starting prices well under $100.

Duncan

Have you factored in shipping, though? A lot of people on there sell things cheap, but charge you $30 on shipping for an item that's $5 to ship. For combined shipping and sale price (the only number that should be looked at), I can't seem to see anything under $100...as for starting prices...they're pretty pointless, most things that sell on there get no action for the first 6 days and 22 hours and the last 2 hrs they skyrocket (I know, I've sold a few things and bought many more on there).

Have you factored in shipping, though? A lot of people on there sell things cheap, but charge you $30 on shipping for an item that's $5 to ship. For combined shipping and sale price (the only number that should be looked at), I can't seem to see anything under $100...as for starting prices...they're pretty pointless, most things that sell on there get no action for the first 6 days and 22 hours and the last 2 hrs they skyrocket (I know, I've sold a few things and bought many more on there).

Go do the search for yourself. Looking at them from most recent to oldest, I see:

You don't say where you're located. If it's outside the US, then shipping is simply going to be higher, there is no avoiding that...but clearly you should be able to still get one for under $100 total. In mentioning starting prices, I am pointing out that those are all potentially lenses that would end up selling for under $100... since the ones that start out over $100 don't even get any bids. Like I originally said "if you're patient" you'll eventually snag one for a reasonable price. I had a small pile of them at one point that I had gotten for $30-$40 each, and when I sold them off again they all went for $60-$75. (I ditched my spares because I finally snagged a 24/1.4 Aspherical for a good price, and mainly use that now instead of the 2.8's)

I'm in Canada, so that bumps the price a bit, but not by much...I can't seem to find the option to search for expired ones...

But a quick search of finished auctions on my items I'm watching list confirms that most of them are around/over the $100 mark...but I have a feeling we Canadians are getting hosed on shipping...I often see free shipping to the States and outrageous to Canada...